BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Equipping contractors and employees who will be constructing the new Sierra Hotel in Shelton, Conn., with the tools to help them identify hazards and prevent on-the-job injuries is the goal of a new site safety partnership among the Bridgeport Area Office of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Connecticut Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety (ConnOSHA) and Konover Construction Corp.

"Partnerships such as this one in Shelton are designed to make safety and health the priority for every contractor and employee working on the project," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's New England regional administrator. "Our common and continuous goal is to reduce and eliminate injuries and illnesses, and their associated human and financial costs."

Under the partnership, Konover Construction will develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health program that equals or exceeds OSHA guidelines. It will include OSHA's 10-hour construction safety course for supervisors and employees to help them recognize and correct construction-related work hazards as well as regular, documented in-house safety inspections; weekly safety training sessions; and the collection and analysis of injury and illness data.

"An additional benefit of this partnership is the training and knowledge it will provide to contractors, especially smaller employers," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport. "They will be able to take the vital and useful safety and health information they obtain on this project and carry it with them to future jobsites."

The project involves the construction of a four-story, 84,000 square foot hotel and two-story 24,000 square foot parking garage on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton. The $10 million project is scheduled for completion in September 2009. About 25 to 30 smaller contractors are expected to benefit from the training and education provided through the partnership.

The partnership was signed in Rocky Hill, Conn., at the offices of the Connecticut Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. Kowalski signed for OSHA; Senior Vice President of Operations Eric Brown and Corporate Safety Director Michael Capazzi signed for Konover; and Kenneth Tucker, occupational safety and health manager, signed for ConnOSHA.

OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program is part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative relationships with trade associations, labor organizations, employers and employees. More than 1.4 million employees and more than 26,000 employers across the United States have participated with OSHA in more than 530 strategic partnerships since the program began in 1998. For more information about safety partnerships in New Haven, Middlesex and Fairfield counties, contact OSHA's Bridgeport Area Office at 203-579-5581.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

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